Locator for cigar perforator



Oct. 7, 1958 R. c. SUNDBERG 2,854,986

LOCATOR FOR CIGAR PERFORATOR 7 Filed Jan. 17, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 5&5; 20

IN VENTOR Faber! 63 Jana flay Oct. 7, 1958 R. c. SUNDBERG 2,354,986

LOCATOR FOR CIGAR PERFORATOR 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 17, 1956 ATTORNEY 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR Fabert (f fwzaery ATTORNEY Oct. 7, 1958 R. c. SUNDBERG LOCATOR FOR CIGAR PERFORATOR Filed Jan. 17, 1956 States Patent fifice 2,854,986 Patented Oct. 7, 1958 roca'ron ron cIoAn ranronxron Robert Q. Str ndberg, Jacksonville, Fla., assignor to line. H. Swisher & Son, Inc, a corporation of (lhio Application January 17, 1956, Serial No. 559,652

7 Claims. (Cl. ISL-255) This invention relates to cigar head punching machines of the type wherein rows of cigars are successively perforated by hot needles and, more particularly, to a cigar head locating bar and needle guide.

in certain types of cigar handling apparatus, as, for instance, in a cellophane wrapping machine, horizontal rows of unwrapped cigars are stacked in an open-top hopper and an ejector plate reciprocating horizontally across the bottom of the hopper pushes each lowermost row laterally from the bottom of the hopper'onto a horizontally moving conveyor. As each successive row of cigars descends in the hopper to a given level, a normally retracted row of hot needles extends inwardly to punch the heads, and then retracts to enable the punched row to descend towards the hopper bottom. Usually there is provided a locater bar having a row of sockets along one side. As the needles move towards the cigar heads, the locater bar moves towards the waiting row of cigars, engages the sockets over the cigar heads and holds them in place. The needles then move through passages in the sockets and pierce the heads.

Heretofore the sockets were recesses of fixed position disposed along one side of a rigid locater bar. While it might appear that the cigars should accommodate themselves to the fixed sockets, as a practical matter they dont. Cigars vary slightly in length, shape and head contour, and while they lie generally parallel in the row to be punched, they sometimes are not all exactly coaxial with the fixed sockets which fit over their heads. As a result, the locater bar comes to rest with some sockets engaged against the heads of the longer cigars, or those with the largest or slightly irregular heads, or those which are not truly centered or coaxial with the sockets, and the remainder of the cigars in the row are not properly engaged by their sockets. The needles then punch off center or non-coaxial holes in the cigar heads which are properly socketed by the locater bar. The object of this invention is to provide a locater bar having loosely mounted individual sockets which will first accommodate themselves centrally over the heads as the bar moves towards the cigars and then, as the bar moves to its final locating position, the sockets center the cigar heads with respect to the oncoming needles. Furthermore, by slidably mounting the individual sockets in the locater bar, and by resiliently biasing them towards the cigar heads, the heads of cigars varying slightly in length are all firmly engaged by the sockets so that they cannot be displaced laterally by the entering needles.

These and other objects will be apparent in the following specification and drawings, in which:

l is is a plan view, partially broken away, showing the head-punching assembly in position of retracted dwell;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section along the line 22 of Fig. 1 but showing a needle engaged Within a cigar;

Fig. 3 is a plan view similar to Fig. l but showing the assembly in head-punching position;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional diagram showing, with exaggeration, the relative positions of four locater sockets shortly after engagement with non-uniform cigars; and,

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but showing the final relative positions of the locater sockets and cigars with the needles in final punching position.

Referring now to the drawings, in which like reference numerals denote similar elements, the head puncher 2 is preferably, although not exclusively, applied to the hopper feed portion of a cellophane wrapping machine, the elements of which are pertinent to this invention only in that there is included a supporting frame 4 on which is mounted a hopper 6 for securing stacked rows of cigars 8 between the parallel Walls 10 and 12. An ejector plate 14 reciprocates across the bottom of hopper 6 periodically to eject the bottommost row of cigars 8 onto a conveyor (not shown) behind hopper wall 12, suitable gaps being provided beneath the walls 10 and 12 to permit the ejector plate to pass therebeneath.

Trackways 16 aflixed on frame 4 support rollers 18 at the ends of a needle bar 20, forwardly from which project a bank of needles 22 whose rear ends are affixed in bar 20. The intermediate portions of needles 22 slide through passages 24 in a heater bar 26 having ends affixed on trackways 16. An electric heater fragmentarily indi cated at 28 is conventionally connected by leads 39 to a suitable source of heating current so that when heater 28 is energized, heat is imparted to bar 26 and, in turn, to needles 22.

Needle bar 20 is reciprocated towards and away from cigars 8 by a lever 32 having a fork 34 embracing an upstanding pin 36 afiixed behind the needle bar. Lever 32, being pivotally supported at 38 on a part of frame 4, is pivoted at 40 to a rod 42 which is driven rearwardly and forwardly so that needle bar 20 is reversely driven, thereby forcing and withdrawing the points 23 of needles 22 into and from the heads 9 of cigars 8. Rod 42 is actuated by suitable drive mechanism, denoted generally at D, so as to provide for the maximum dwell of needles 22 in their forward, head-punching position, this being independent of the motion of ejector plate 14 which moves rapidly forward, immediately retracts, and dwells in retracted position. I

A locater bar 44 which rides on rollers 46 has lostmotion connections with needle bar 20 so that it rolls forwardly and rearwardly. Thus, before needle points 23 enter cigar heads 9, the latter are located and firmly held so that holes will be punched substantially centrally in heads 9.

The lost-motion connection between locater bar 44 and needle bar 29 comprises a pair of push rods 48 afiixed at their forward ends in angle brackets 50 pivoted at 52 to a top cover plate 54 on locater bar 44. The rear ends of push rods 48 slide through passages 55 in abutments 56 affixed on needle bar 20, and compression springs 58 engaged between brackets 5d and abutments 56 resiliently transmit the forward force as needle bar 20 moves towards the cigars, it being apparent that locater bar 44 will first move forwardly until stopped by cigar heads 9, and that needle bar 20 will continue its forward motion while springs 58 are compressed. Drag links 60 whose forward ends are pivoted at 62 to needle bar 4-4 are slotted at 64 to loosely engage upstanding pins 66 on needle bar 20 so that during the latter portion of the retractive motion of the needle bar 20, locater bar 44 is pulled rearwardly and away from cigar heads 9 so that the punched row of cigars 8 may descend to be replaced by a new row of cigars to be punched. A machine of this type is disclosed in my prior co-pending application entitled Cigar 3 Perforating Mechanism, filed August 18, 1955, Serial No. 529,239, which has matured into Patent Number 2,800,133 on July 23, 1957.

The invention is concerned primarily with the improvements in locater bar 44. Referring particularly to Figs. 1, 4, and 5, it will be observed that a row of passages 68 spaced along locater bar 44 loosely and slidably accommodate the rearward tubular extensions 70 of socket heads 72 which have forwardly facing sockets 73 formed to fit cigar heads 9. Compression springs 74, which are thin and weak as compared with springs 58, surround tubular extensions 70 and engage between locater bar 44 and socket heads 72 so as lightly to bias the latter towards the cigars to the extent permitted by stop collars 76. Collars 76 are adjustably held on the rear portions of tubular extensions 70 by set screws not shown. In the rearmost positions of socket heads 72, flat flanges 78 on their upper and lower edges engage flatwise against the forward edges 79, 79' of top cover plate 54 and a similar bottom cover plate 80. Plates 54 and 80 are firmly held on locater bar 44 by suitable bolts, not shown, and have soldered to them the ends of forwardly projecting substantially V-shaped spacer wires 82 arranged at spaced intervals across the front of the cover plates so as to crowd the cigar heads laterally if they be out of their proper vertical columns in the hopper.

The operation of locater bar 44 will be apparent by comparing Figs. 1 and 4 with Figs. 3 and which illustrate the successive relative positions of the parts before the start of the head punching motion (Fig. 1), during the first phase after locater bar 44 has moved forwardly and engaged the heads of the cigars (Fig. 4) and after the cigars have been located and the needles have entered the cigar heads (Figs. 3 and 5).

Fig. 4 diagrammatically illustrates, with angular exaggeration somewhat beyond the normal expectancy, the original angular mis-placement of two cigars 8', 8", a short cigar 8", and a normal one 8. After initially engaging the cigars, socket head 72' swings angularly to the left, socket head 8" swings angularly to the right, socket head 72" moves bodily sidewise to the right and remains ahead of the others because of the shortness of cigar 8", and socket head 72 remains centered during its forward movement. It will be noted that when the socket heads are in their extreme forward position, their lateral deflection is at its greatest potential because their tubular extensions function as comparatively long levers fulcrumed against the side walls of passage 68 in which they loosely fit. As locater bar 44 moves forwardly towards its Fig. 5 position, the tipped socket heads move towards the center of the axes of passages 68 because the lever arms of extensions 70 shorten. In final position, the socket heads may be very slightly off center or, if certain cigars be short, the engaged sockets may not be fully pushed back. However, all the cigar heads are firmly socketed, the heads of the longer or the angularly displaced cigars have not been injured, as when they are forcefully engaged by rigidly affixed sockets the needle points enter the cigar heads substantially on center, and the cigars are firmly held so that the needles have a solid pull when they are withdrawn.

It will be apparent from the foregoing specification that the invention has application to other than hopper fed head punching machines, that various numbers of locater sockets may be used, depending on the number of cigars to be punched at one stroke, and that the motion of the locater bar may be independent of the needle motion.

Since the foregoing specification may suggest other modifications, substitutions and equivalents to those skilled in the art, the invention is not restricted to the details disclosed, but limited only by the scope of the following claims.

.I claim: s

1. In a cigar perforator, a frame, a hopper having front and rear portions supported on said frame and' adapted to contain a horizontal row of cigars to be perforated with the heads thereof disposed adjacent the front portion of the hopper, a locator assembly comprising a horizontal bar disposed adjacent the front portion of the hopper, means mounting said bar on said frame for sidewise horizontal reciprocating movement towards and away from said cigars, said bar having a horizontal row of passages therethrough substantially corresponding in spacing and axial direction to the axes of said cigars, a plurality of tubes substantially longer than the horizontal thickness of the bar, the exterior diameters of said tubes being substantially smaller than said passages and loosely engaging therein, said tubes being slidable lengthwise in said passages and having inner ends extending through the horizontal opening in the front wall of the hopper, sockets on the inner ends of the tubes for engaging the cigars, compression springs engaged between said bar and the inner ends of said tubes for biasing the same inwardly of the hopper, stop means adjacent the other ends of said tubes for limiting the inward movement thereof, means for so reciprocating said bar, and elongate perforating means engaging through said tubes for perforating said cigars.

2. The combination claimed in claim 1, the inner ends of said tubes having exterior flanges thereon, and edge means on said bar disposed towards said flanges, said flanges being normally spaced inwardly from the edge means and engaging flatwise thereagainst so as to align the axes of said tubes with the axes of the passages when said tubes slide through said passages against the bias of said springs.

3. In a cigar head perforator, a frame, a receptacle on said frame adapted to support a row of substantially similarly oriented cigars with the heads thereof disposed in one region of the receptacle, a row of elongate needles corresponding to the row of cigars and adapted to pierce the cigar heads, a needle bar supporting the shank ends of said needles, driving means for moving said needle bar towards and from said head region whereby said needles pierce the heads of the cigars in said row, and a locating assembly for said cigar heads comprising a locater bar, means mounting said locater bar on said frame adjacent the head region of the cigars for movement towards and away therefrom, said locater bar having a plurality of slideways extending therethrough parallel to said needles, a plurality of socket elements each including an elongate body and an enlarged head having a concavity at one end thereof adapted to engage over the head of a cigar, said body portions loosely and slidably engaging in said slideways whereby said socket elements may move back and forth in said locater bar in the axial direction of said needles and also wobble somewhat from side to side the engagement of said body portions in said slideways being substantially greater than standard manufacturing fit, passage means extending lengthwise through said socket elements and terminating in said concavities and loosely accommodating said needles, means for moving said locater bar towards and away from the head region of the receptacle so as respectively to engage and disengage said concavities on and from the cigars in said bank, and compression springs engaged between said locater bar and the heads of said socket elements for biasing the latter towards the cigar head.

4. In a cigar head perforator, a receptacle adapted to support a plurality of cigars to be perforated with the cigar heads disposed towards one end of the receptacle, a head locating assembly comprising a support, means mounting said support adjacent said end of the receptacle for movement towards and away therefrom, a plurality of socket elements each having a concavity at one end adapted to engage over the head of a cigar and passage means therein for permitting passage therethrough of a cigar head perforating element, means loosely mounting said socket elements in said support with the concavities thereof disposed towards said end of the receptacle, the last-named means providing limited sliding movement of said socket members in said support in the direction of movement of the support, resilient means engaged between said support and said socket members for biasing the latter in the direction to engage the cigar heads, whereby said socket elements may accommodate themselves to the cigars engaged thereby, and means on said support for engaging between the cigars to be perforated for preliminarily arranging the same in predetermined position.

5. The combination claimed in claim 4, the last-named means comprising a plurality of relatively thin members spaced along said support and extending therefrom to- Wards the cigars to be punched, the free ends of said thin members extending beyond the concave ends of the socket elements whereby to engage between the cigars prior to engagement of the socket elements with the cigar heads.

6. In a head perforator for cigars, means adapted to hold a cigar with the head'thereof substantially in a location for punching, a locator assembly including a movable support, means mounting the support for movement in directions towards and away from the head location, a socket member having a body portion with a concavity at one end thereof adapted to engage over the cigar head, passage means in said socket member providing for passage therethrough of a cigar head perforating element, means loosely mounting said socket member in said support for relative movement in said directions, said means providing limited play of said socket member in said support transversely of said directions said limited play being substantially greater than that normally provided by the standard manufacturing tolerances normal to the mounting of the socket member '6 in said support for relative movement in said directions, and means engaged between said support and said socket member for yieldably biasing the latter in the direction towards the cigar head, a cigar head perforating element engaging through said passage means, means for moving the perforating element towards and away from the head location, and lost-motion drive means connecting said support and said perforating element for moving the former towards and away from the head location in accordance with the corresponding initial motions of the perforating element.

7. In a head perforator for cigars, means adapted to hold a cigar with the head thereof in a location for punching, a locator assembly including a movable support, means for moving the support in directions towards and away from the head location, a socket member having a body portion with a concavity at one end thereof adapted to engage over the cigar head, passage means in said socket member for permitting passage therethrough of a perforating element, means loosely mounting said socket member in said support for relative movement in said direction, said means providing limited play of said socket member in said support transversely of said directions, said limited play being substantially greater than that normally provided by the standard manufacturing tolerances normal to the mounting of the socket member in said support for relative movement in said directions, and means engaged between said support and said socket member for yieldably biasing the latter in the direction towards the cigar head.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,754,830 Noecker et al. July 17, 1956 

